Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said today that Jarrod Saltalamacchia will be a full-time catcher in 2008. Daniels said that's where the Rangers feel he is best suited. Right now Frank Catalanotto is the Rangers first baseman and Gerald Laird is still with the team. But the Rangers are committed to Saltalamacchia as a catcher.
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Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where many patrons still remember the days when the Winter Meetings had a dozen or more deals going down in a single day and nobody gave two thoughts about the Rule 5 Draft.
* The Rangers aren't too popular on the road. They averaged 28,789 fans per road game in 2007. That was the lowest in the Major Leagues. Boston had the highest with 38,643 per game.
* Reggie Jackson, speaking 31 years ago on his free agency: "I'll probably get a million more than I should, but I didn't make the rules. I'm just taking advantage of them."
* Joaquin Benoit's new contract calls for him to get a $100,000 bonus for winning the Cy Young Award, $50,000 for either being the World Series MVP or making the All-Star Team and $25,000 if he wins a Gold Glove or is the LCS MVP. He also gets $100,000 if he is the Rolaids Relief Award winner.
* Greg Maddux's new deal with the Padres includes membership in the Del Mar Country Club. Curt Schilling's $8 million deal includes day care for all home games.
* One more: Astros catcher Brad Ausmus gets $150,000 for winning the Silver Slugger Award. That's for best hitter at your position. He had three home runs and 25 RBI in 2007. He has never had more than nine home runs and 54 RBI in a season.
* The team that trades for Johan Santana will be trading for the guy who gave up the most home runs in the American League last season. He allowed 33.
* The Rangers threw six shutouts in 2007, none of them were complete games. But Kameron Loe started three of the six.
* Rangers pitcher Kevin Millwood will be riding a float in downtown Dallas Saturday during the Adolphus Children's Christmas Parade. Ranger Captain will be with him.
* You know there are five players on the Hall of Fame ballot who spent time with the Rangers: Rich Gossage, Harold Baines and Bert Blyleven are holdovers while Robb Nen and Todd Stottlemyre are on for the first time.
* Through 43 games in the Mexican Winter League: Jason Botts is hitting .313 with seven home runs and his 37 RBI is second in the league.
* You are a hard-core Rangers fan if you remember Jason Bourgeois but he leads that league with 19 stolen bases. Travis Hughes leads the Venezuelan League with 14 saves. Vince Sinisi leads the Dominican League with 22 RBI while Victor Diaz, who was released by the Rangers this week, leads with six home runs.
* Just for the heck of it: Todd Zeile.
* MLB.Com is coming out with it's Top 50 Minor League prospects and pitcher Eric Hurley (No. 25) and Elvus Andrus (38) make the list for the Rangers.
* Former Cardinals catcher Ted Simmons: "I think most players read the sports pages, but I'm sorry to say that in most cases that's all they read."
* Brewers manager Ned Yost wants Rookie of the Year third baseman Ryan Braun to take 1,000 ground balls a day to improve his defense. That comes out to a nice three-hour workout.
* Rangers home games lasted an average of two hours and 56 minutes in 2007. Games at Yankee Stadium averaged three hours and 13 minutes. Baltimore (2:59), Boston (3:10), and Cleveland (2:58) were all higher than the Rangers. The Yankees also played the slowest road games with an average of three hours and seven minutes
* The Rangers were 26-18 in one-run games last year, best in the American League. But their 3-13 record on artificial turf was the worst. Rangers were also 5-9 in extra innings, third worst.
* R.A. Dickey is going to the Minnesota Twins camp on a Minor League contract.
* Ryan Roberts, recently signed by the Rangers to a Minor League contract, is one of seven players from UT-Arlington to have played in the Majors. He would be the first to ever play with the Rangers. John Lackey has never played with the Rangers. The Angels took him with the 68th overall pick in the 1999 draft after the Rangers took pitchers Colby Lewis and David Mead.
Random thoughts on Mauritania Independence Day:
So we know the Rangers are interested in Kosuke Fukudome and club officials are quietly expressing optimism that they are seriously in the hunt. Still no word if Fukudome is actually coming to America or will stay in Japan.
The Yomiuri Giants really want him bad but the Rangers would seem to prefer him for something like $30 million over three years instead of Aaron Rowand.
Yes the Rangers are interested in Rowand but the asking price right now is supposedly $75 million over five years. That's what the Rangers offered Torii Hunter. But if the Rangers weren't willing to go there with Gary Matthews Jr. then it seems logical that they won't with Rowand.
Coco Crisp? Word is the Red Sox want three young pitchers for him: Eric Hurley, Luis Mendoza and one other young lower-level prospect. Doesn't seem something that would interest the Rangers.
Mike Cameron may be available on a two-year deal. Scott Boras is working really hard trying to get the Rangers interested in Andruw Jones. So far he hasn't had much success.
The guess here is the Rangers are going to push as hard as they can on Fukudome. He makes more sense financially and won't be as much of a burden to them in the future.
Then maybe you could line up with:
2B Kinsler
1B Catalanotto
SS Young
3B Blalock
RF Fukudome
CF Byrd
DH Botts
C Saltalamacchia
LF Murphy
Cameron could fit in there nicely as well. Then you add a couple of bullpen pieces and go to war. You might even add Jason Jennings to the rotation mix. The Rangers definitely have at least some interest there, sources said.
Still think the Rangers and the Mets are going to talk about Gerald Laird. The Rangers would love to get Carlos Gomez, a Minor League outfielder, back in any deal. But the Mets do have some young pitching in Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber. But it looks like the Mets are going to push hard on Johan Santana.
Could the Rangers get Santana? Probably not. It would probably take Edinson Volquez, Hurley, Kinsler and Byrd. Ran that by one Rangers official and he said that was too much to give up, especially if Santana walks after one year.
The Rangers do have to be interested in reliever Joe Nathan if the Twins try to move him. Problem is he can walk after 2008. But if you can hold the asking price to two players, you get two draft picks if you can't re-sign him.
But all these plans depend heavily on some serious internal improvements.
1. Kinsler needs to have a big year at leadoff spot.
2. Blalock: 32 home runs, 110 RBI as he did in 2004.
3. Saltalamacchia has to be the real deal.
4. Volquez and McCarthy
5. Millwood and Padilla
6. Jason Botts.
7. Wilson and Benoit.
8. How fast is Eric Hurley going to come?
9. How fast is Chris Davis going to come?
10. John Mayberry Jr. where are you?
Kerry Wood, another target for the Rangers this winter, has decided to go back to the Chicago Cubs. He took a one-year deal. The Rangers were willing to go a two-year deal but Wood decided to stay in Chicago. He could be the Cubs closer in 2008.
How time flies. It was only 85 years ago today that Howard Carter & Co. wandered into King Tut's tomb. Now the Boy Pharoah is all grown up and dancing with Steve Martin.
If that isn't a great moment in history, how about this: this is the anniversary of the founding of the NHL, the first fraternity (Union College), and the premiere of movie Casablanca way back in 1942.
1. What's your take on Torii Hunter signing with the Angels?
2. Who should be option No. 2 for the Rangers now that Torii Hunter is off the market: Aaron Rowand? Coco Crisp? Mike Cameron? Corey Patterson?
3. Would you be interested in Andruw Jones or Jose Guillen?
4. Which of these former managers deserves to go in the Hall of Fame first: Billy Martin, **** Williams or Whitey Herzog?
5. Hypothetical Trade of the Week: Would you trade Vicente Padilla to the St. Louis Cardinals for Jim Edmonds.
* Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where a seat license is never needed for a cold one.
* Torii Hunter, through the age of 25, had 737 at-bats in the Major Leagues and was hitting .266 with 14 home runs and 81 RBI. His OPS was .704. Laynce Nix, through age 25, was hitting .247 in 784 at-bats with 28 home runs and 108 RBI. His OPS was .711. Problem is Nix has had just 79 at-bats in the Major Leagues over the past two years. He does have 31 home runs in his last 450 Triple A at-bats.
* Many consider Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete ever. He played parts of six seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly with the New York Giants, from 1913-1919. He had 698 at-bats and hit .252 with 91 runs scored, seven home runs and 89 RBI. He stole 29 bases. But he walked just 27 times and struck out 122 times.
* You're an old Cowboys fan if you remember that it was Packers safety Tom Brown who intercepted Don Meredith in the back of the end zone to end the 1966 NFL Championship Game. Brown also played for the Washington Senators as an outfielder in 1963 and hit .147.
* You know that Red Sox pitcher Tracy Stallard gave up Roger Maris' 61st home run in 1961. Stallard's other claim to fame? He was Fidel Castro's favorite player.
* If you go to MLB.Com Auction you can bid on a can of bug spray that was used in the Yankees dugout during the Game 2 insect infestation in Cleveland.
* Vicente Padilla is spending the winter as the President of the Chinandega Tigers in the Nicaragua Professional Baseball League. He may also pitch too.
* Just for the heck of it: Kurt Stillwell.
* Harry S. Truman did throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a number of baseball games. Sometimes he did left-handed and sometimes he did it right-handed. Truman was ambidextrous.
* If you had been in the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco on Nov. 23, 1889, you would have heard the first jukebox in operation.
* Rangers scout Randy Taylor was the one who tipped off Rice baseball coach Wayne Graham about Lance Berkman, who was practically unnoticed at New Braunfels Canyon High. Berkman wasn't drafted out of high school because he had no speed and no arm but Graham took him as a hitter.
* Nelson Cruz is hitting .469 (15-for-32) with two home runs and nine RBI in his first eight games for Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican Winter League.
* Yes, Omar Beltre is pitching in the Dominican Winter League. Beltre, now 26 and still unable to come to the United States, is 1-2 with a 3.10 ERA in five games, including four starts, for Azucareros del Estes.
* You knew that Hunter Pence and Ben Grieve were born in Arlington. But how about Ed Appleton? He was born in Arlington on Feb. 29, 1892 and pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1915-16. Those are the three.
* The Dallas born All-Star team: C Dave Duncan, 1B Scott Livingstone 2B Davey Williams, SS Ernie Banks 3b Shane Andrews, OF Ruppert Jones, OF Keith Moreland, OF Carl Warwick. P Chris Young
* There have been 741 Major League baseball players born in Texas. The Lone Star State is running a distant sixth. California, of course, leads with 1,860, Pennsylvania (1,327) followed by New York (1,112), Illinois (990) and Ohio (965). Alaska has nine, Curt Schilling and eight others.
* The leading European nation? Ireland of course. There were 40 players born on the Sacred Soil. The last one was Jimmy Archer, whose career ended in 1918.
Torii Hunter signed with the Angels. Gary Matthews Jr. is now a fourth outfielder. I'm going to eat a bologna sandwich.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Maybe Alex Rodriguez did it just to thank Tom Hicks.
Maybe Rodriguez and Scott Boras felt they owed Hicks for that $252 million contract from seven years ago and felt the Texas Boss deserved a $21 million tax break.
So he didn't get a $300 million contract, at least not yet. But there will be Thanksgiving at the Rodriguez house, the Hicks manse and even out there in California where Boras still holds much clout as an agent despite recent developments and heaped ridicule.
There will be Thanksgiving in Atlanta with maybe some rain in the morning and that's worth giving thanks for if you understand how bad the drought is out there. Water you lawn and put you in jail until you pay off a steep fine.
Global warming apparently although the north wind that came through Texas on Wednesday was anything but warm, a true autumnal chill that reminds us that the season is over and it's a long time until pitchers and catchers report.
The Hunter's Moon will be here on Saturday and the Rangers are hoping for their own Hunter's moon that has nothing to do with fair Luna being full. But it appears that Torii Hunter will spend the weekend in Los Angeles and then there will lots of talk and apparently a decision before they all show up in Nashville on Dec. 2 for the winter meetings.
The Rangers compete against the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox and Hicks said he's optimistic although he added, "obviously it's going to come down to money."
Must be nice spending Thanksgiving contemplating offers of $75-90 million. Beats Thanksgiving 1985, my last before marriage, sitting in an apartment down the street from Paschal High School, eating bologna sandwiches, drinking two bottles of wine and watching football on a 12-inch Sears black-and-white that is now 30 years old and still working.
Well, I think it can get Channel 8 but doubt Dale Hansen is any more palatable in grainy black-and-white than he is in living color.
But by all accounts Hunter is a special person, not only a talented outfielder and solid person but a strong clubhouse presence and leader. Four division titles in the past six years for the Minnesota Twins aren't bad.
Plus he comes from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, or Pine Box as Hunter and his friends called it, a tough town in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. Surviving Pine Bluff is not easy, not anymore today than 40 years ago when Robert Kennedy first went down the Sugar Road to bring to light the poverty of the Delta.
Hunter knew at least ten friends who were killed in gang shootings but now the Torii and Katrina Hunter Pine Bluff Community Fund raises thousands of dollars for their hometown. Hicks and Hunter have talked about bigger plans if they can reach an agreement on a new contract but that decision won't come down until after the Hunter's Moon has waxed and waned.
So it's time to give thanks, eat turkey – or bologna – and feel the cold wind. The Rangers got one big present early in the off-season when their old shortstop helped out his old boss. Now they wait and see if Santa Claus will be good to them as well and bring them the center fielder they want so dearly.
Seven score and four years ago today, President Abraham Lincoln spoke at Gettysburgh. He spoke only for 2-3 minutes but his words have been memoralized through history as the Gettysburg address.
Johnny Carson: "Today is Lincoln's Birthday. Did you send him a card?"
Ed McMahon: "I wouldn't know where to send it."
Johnny Carson: "To his Gettysburg address."
And on we go:
1. Would you sign free agent pitcher Kenny Rogers for one year and $8 million?
2. Would you go six years and $90 million on Torii Hunter, five years and $55 million on Aaron Rowand or three years and $27 million on Mike Cameron?
3. Does Sean Casey appeal to you as a Rangers first baseman.
4. Will Barry Bonds ever play again and will he ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame?
5. Hypothetical trade question of the week: Would you trade Hank Blalock, Edinson Volquez, Wes Littleton and David Murphy to the Pirates for first baseman Adam LaRoche and pitcher Zach Duke?
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar and Grill, where today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of statehood for Oklahoma.
* The Rangers have inquired about Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard. They are hardly the only ones. The Orioles would rather sign him to a contract extension that will keep him from becoming a free agent after the 2009 season. If they can't do that by the Winter Meetings in December, they could try to trade him.
* Hall of Famers born in Oklahoma: Johnny Bench, Mickey Mantle, Willie Stargell, and Lloyd and Paul Waner. Prominent Rangers born there include Mickey Tettleton, George Wright, Monty Fariss and Jamey Wright.
* Oklahoma City has been the Rangers Triple A team since 1983. Prior to that, the Rangers had been all over the map: Sacramento, Spokane, Tucson, Denver, Wichita. Even Charleston (W.V.) of the International League.
* The scouts say that shortstop Elvis Andrus is good enough defensively to play in the Major Leagues right now. They also say he is an extremely smart baserunner. The big question is supposed to be his bat. He is hitting .353 with a .411 on-base percentage in the Arizona Fall League.
* The Rangers acquired Andrus from the Braves in the Mark Teixeira trade. Matt Harrison came over in the same trade. He is 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA in seven starts in Arizona.
* Rangers Minor Leaguers Ian Gac and Chad Tracy are tied for the Hawaiian Winter League lead with seven home run each.
* Strange who you see pitching in the Winter League. Hideo Nomo, now 39 years old, is pitching in Venezuela.
* Henry Kissinger: "Baseball is the most intellectual game because most of the action takes place in your head."
* Actor Clark Gable used to sit in his dressing room between takes listening to baseball games on the radio. He invited everybody to join him, from co-stars to the extras.
* Derek Jeter appears to be in trouble in New York, according to the Daily News. Seems the state's tax people want to know why he lists Tampa as his permanent home even though he seems to spend all his time in New York City.
* Just for the heck of it: Mike Jeffcoat.
* The Rangers are interested in Aaron Rowand but Torii Hunter is their No. 1 target. Said Rowand: "If the right thing comes along, and it's the Phillies, that's great. I'd like to go back and if the right thing comes along, I'm there. I'm not waiting for anyone else to sign. It's what's right for my family. I'm not thinking about what the rest of the guys are doing. It has nothing to do with that."
* The Rangers have had a pitcher win 10 games in a season 52 times in the past 20 years. Of those 52, 34 came from a pitcher originally drafted or signed by the Rangers. Kenny Rogers has nine of those while Kevin Brown, Rick Helling and Bobby Witt are next with four each. Roger Pavlik and Darren Oliver won at least ten games three times since 1988, Jose Guzman twice and Doug Davis, Paul Kilgus, Danny Patterson, Chris Young and Colby Lewis once.
* Only five American League teams have had fewer ten-game winners in the past 20 years than the Rangers. Tampa Bay of course. The others are the Twins (50), Orioles (48), Tigers (44) and Royals (37).
* General Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball. That myth has been thoroughly refuted. But he did hold the first patent on the cable car system that still runs in San Francisco.
* You probably saw the Alex Rodriguez has his own website. That's where he released the statement that he was talking with the New York Yankees again. That's also where you can buy one of the bases from the game in which he hit his 400th home run. Rodriguez signed the base and now it's going for $2,500.
* A baseball signed by Rodriguez is going for $1,250. It was game used. A ball signed by both Rodriguez and Cal Ripken Jr. is going for $550. Didn't realize Ripken's autograph could devalue a baseball by almost $700.
There is an institutional inevitability, inexorable expediency and irresistible obsequiousness in the Rangers renewed interest in free agent pitcher Kenny Rogers.
As St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote in Summa Theologica:, " The more deeply something is impressed upon the soul, the less does it drop out of the soul.”
Or as Matthew McConaughey said, "We are Marshall."
The simple fact is a Rogers-Rangers reunion is doable, a convergence of perceived interests with no more than token resistance for perception is easier to grasp than intentions, that which is already believed to be known is readily believed again and the sustained deviation into the unknown or deep delving of the past is uncomfortable.
It is about the potential gratification of what might be gained here and now rather than what someday and somewhere might be, a concept that garners big words but little patience and interest. But Dr. Graham may be right when he talks about the magic in the night because Nate Wright never did get any satisfaction, Gerald Phelan caught the ball and the trombone player was splattered in the end.
Meetings are made, lunches are taken and plans are hatched but fate, culture and DNA can not be readily tossed aside. Triskaidekaphobia has no place here even if there is a readable script from the Dirty Dozen.
That hope springs eternal every spring is the mantra that has carried baseball up from the Elysian Fields and those who make the potato chip will forever be rich.
Yes St. Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” But more important to the Rangers immediacy is the article of faith that says, "You can never have enough pitching."
Yes, the Rangers have spoken to Scott Boras about Rogers. They have talked to him about Alex Rodriguez and perhaps showed just enough hesitation and a gleam of hope springing eternal to allow Boras to throw another team into the perceived field. Get that message into the right hands and possibly get the right person nervous. In this case, that would be Angels owner Arte Moreno, but the reverse could also be true.
Don't think the Rangers haven't talked about Barry Bonds either, temptation lies in all corners of the free agent market. The Rangers seem intent on passing there but nobody has starting carving any turkeys either.
The bottom line is the Rangers want to win. Tom Hicks wants to win. Jon Daniels wants to win. Ron Washington wants to win. The fans want to see them at least trying to win, that is the moral code that is in place here. They look everywhere for answers, including the well-known past.
So the general managers were busy in Florida and not only talking trade but also the rules of the game.
Hence we are now looking at the possibility of Instant Replay, and we're not talking about the classic book by Jerry Kramer. We are talking about, "after further review..."
1. Are you in favor of instant replay being used in baseball and under what circumstances?
2. The GMs talked about pace of the game...again. Are you in favor of a rule preventing hitters from stepping out of the batter's box, forcing pitchers to throw the baseball in 12 seconds and keeping fielders off the pitcher's mound.
3. Do you think umpires will ever enforce those rules.
4. What rule changes would you implement if you were in charge?
5.Hypothetical trade of the week: Would you trade Hank Blalock to the Boston Red Sox for Coco Crisp?
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where Wes Turner, a true man of integrity, is always welcome.
* ESPN analyst Rob Neyer said Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp deserved to be in the American League Gold Glove outfield instead of Torii Hunter.
* Rangers manager Ron Washington: "I do believe if we can fill a few holes we can knock off some of these teams in front of us. I'm not saying we can go all the way to the top but we can be better."
* The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in moving Nomar Garciaparra, a right-handed hitter who played both first and third from him. He could be a fit for the Rangers who could use a right-handed bat and a club official admitted, "That's not a bad idea."
* Cleveland Indians general manager Mark Shapiro: "As time evolves, I sense growing reluctance by teams to trade prospects. So we might see a revisionist approach, with Major Leaguers-for-Major Leaguers trades being talked a lot."
* The Orioles hired Dave Jauss as their bench coach earlier this week. That's another job that former Rangers manger Jerry Narron turned down.
* Curt Schilling gets a $1 million bonus if he gets a Cy Young vote. Any vote. Not the award. Just a vote.
* A news report that Jose Guillen is among the players who allegedly bought HGH from a Florida pharmacy may be of some interest to the Rangers. He is a free agent and Washington knows him from their time together in Oakland. He could provide the big bat they are looking for in the middle of their lineup but the latest developments won't add to possible Rangers interest.
* Former Rangers managers Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin are among the latest group of managers/umpires who will be voted on by the Veterans Committee for induction into the Hall of Fame.
* Herzog's not going to get in on the strength of his work in Texas but Martin's time in Arlington has to be considered. He was Manager of the Year in 1974 when the Rangers finished 84-76 after losing a club record 105 games the year before.
* Just for the heck of it: Cecil Espy.
* American League Rookie of the Year is announced on Monday. The Rangers haven't had a Rookie of the Year since 1974. Every other American League club except Tampa Bay has had at least one since then. Oakland has had six.
* Only five Rangers have received at least one first place vote in A.L. rookie voting since Hargrove: Bump Wills (4, 1977), Pat Putnam (3, 1979), Rusty Greer (3, 1994), Mark Teixeira (1, 2003) and Oddibe McDowell (1, 1985).
* Hargrove hit .323 for the Rangers in 1974 but didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Highest batting average by a Rangers rookie who did qualify for the batting title? Wills hit .287 in 1977.
* Most home runs by a Rangers rookie? Pete Incaviglia hit 30 in 1986. Yes, that ended up being his career high.
* Actor Kevin Costner: "I was born in the '50s, and that was baseball. I was putting nails in bats when they were broken, and electric tape to make it all work. 'No chips on windows,' and you learn how to place it, because you're playing in the street and you can't hit Old Man Smith's car."
* Yes, Elton John is a baseball fan. In fact, he is an Atlanta Braves fan. Said John about baseball" "In a way, it's very poetic. I watched it and I fell in love with the game, and I learned how it worked, and I loved it and the Braves became my team. I watch baseball whenever I am on the road, whether it's the Braves or whether it's someone else. For me, it's a huge relaxation and, like cricket, one of the most poetic things you can do is watch a game of baseball."
* Fernando Valenzuela turned 47 on Nov. 1 so you have to cut him some slack when you look at his 8.10 ERA with Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League. He is teammates with Rangers outfielder Brandon Boggs, who was born in 1983. That's two years after Valenzuela won his Cy Young Award with the Dodgers.
* You remember Jack Morris throwing a shutout for the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series? That's the last time an American League pitcher threw a complete-game shutout in the World Series.
* Wait a minute, that's also the last time an American League pitcher threw a complete game in the World Series. There have been seven since 1991 by National League pitchers.
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot
I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, twas his intent
to blow up the King and Parliament
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow
By God's Providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and burning match
Guy Fawkes Night
While we are remembering the attempted overthrow of the English government, also struck by this:
The Rangers interviewed five for their manager's job last year: Ron Washington, Manny Acta, John Russell, Trey Hillman and Don Wakamatsu. Four of those five are now managers.
2002: John Hart interviews five for the opening: Buck Showalter, DeMarlo Hale, Jim Fregosi, Buddy Bell and Terry Francona. Four of five were or became managers.
1994: Johnny Oates is hired unopposed.
1992: Kevin Kennedy wins over Rene Lachemann and Jerry Royster. Both Lachemann and Royster end up managing.
1982: Doug Rader hired over Bobby Valentine and Jim Leyland.
Just interesting all the guys that the Rangers didn't hire. Also, in 1992, Lou Piniella was available.
1. Do you think the Rangers should go after Kerry Wood with the idea of making him a closer?
2. Could Francisco Cordero come back home and feel comfortable pitching at the Ballpark in Arlington.
3. Would you pay Sammy Sosa $7 million to be the Rangers designated hitter.
4. Who would you rather have on your team: Alex Rodriguez or Barry Bonds.
5. Hypothetical Trade Proposal of the Week: Would you do this: Edinson Volquez, Eric Hurley, Hank Blalock and Jarrod Saltalamacchia for either Johan Santana with the Twins or Miguel Cabrera of the Marlins
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where we drink a toast to the 60th anniversary of the maiden and only flight of the Spruce Goose.
* In 1750 B.C., 40 percent of all grained harvested in ancient Sumeria was used to brew beer. The Code of Hammurabi specifically condemned under-strength, over-priced beer.
* The Rangers were working under the assumption that Eric Gagne would be a Type A free agent and bring back two draft picks. Turns out he is a Type B and so the Red Sox – if they offer him arbitration – will only get a supplemental pick.
* This is no surprise but Torii Hunter and Aaron Rowand are both Type A free agents, according to the Elias Rankings. That means it will cost a team a draft pick to sign them.
* The Rangers had the 11th worst record in the Majors so they can't lose their first draft pick if they sign a Type A free agent. They would give up their second round pick instead.
* Elias ranks every player based on their statistics over the past two seasons. Type A means you are in the top 20 percent in your group. Type B means you were in the next 20 percent.
* The Rangers had three players ranked Type A. Michael Young was one. He was the highest ranked in the American League in the group that consists of second basemen, shortstops and third basemen.
* The other two? Akinori Otsuka and Joaquin Benoit among relievers. C.J. Wilson just missed. He was the highest ranked Type B relief pitcher. All three were ranked higher than Gagne, but remember that 2006 is included.
* Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Frank Catalanotto Ian Kinsler and Hank Blalock are all Type B. Sammy Sosa was unranked because he didn't play at all in 2006. Millwood, by the way, was ranked higher than Kenny Rogers.
* By the way, baseball was banned in Japan during World War II. But they mourned the death of Eiji Sawamura, who died in action on Nov. 2 1944. He was the Japanese pitcher who became a national hero by striking out Babe Ruth during a 1934 exhibition game.
* You knew that George Steinbrenner bought the Yankees from CBS. The television network bought the Yankees on Nov. 2, 1964 for $11.2 million. The Yankees never made the playoffs while they were sharing the same employee cafeteria as Walter Cronkite, Captain Kangaroo and the Beverly Hillbillies.
Just for the heck of it: Dean Palmer.
* President Dwight Eisenhower: "Not making the baseball team at West Point was one of the greatest disappointments of my life. Maybe the greatest."
* Speaking of anniversaries, Will Clark announced his retirement from baseball seven years ago today.
* Mark Holtz probably would have made the Hall of Fame if fate hadn't intervened and there's little doubt that Eric Nadel's time will come. Right now? This vote? Dave Niehaus.
* Best television analyst ever? No doubt about it. Hands down. Contest over. Tony Kubek. Nobody else is close.
* Grady Little's .552 winning percentage (358-290) is the highest ever by a Major League manager who was born in Texas. Little, let go by the Dodgers this week, was born in Abilene. Joe Torre's career winning percentage is .559.
* Nolan Ryan (Refugio) and Greg Maddux were both born in Texas and have 671 career wins between them. But they had just four 20-win seasons between them over a combined 49 years. James "Hippo" Vaughn (Weatherford) and Pete Donohue (Athens) combined to play in 25 seasons and win 312 games. But they had eight 20-win seasons between them.
* How would it go over today is a Major League pitcher when by the name of Dolly? Not good. But Dolly Gray won 20 games for the St. Louis Browns in 1928. He was from Van Alstyne.
* Then there was Lil Stoner. He was born in Bowie and won 11 games for the Detroit Tigers in 1924. His real name? Ulysses Simpson Grant. Born in 1899. Like Dolly, his career lasted through the 1920's.
* Dolly beat Lil's team on June 28, 1928. Lil beat Dolly's team on July 1, 1928. Same thing happened on Sept. 2 and Sept. 5. Dolly won when he pitched and Lil won he pitched. Too bad Dolly and Lil didn't face each other.
